


Precious

by Enigma12



Category: No Fandom, Short Stories - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 09:34:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14713575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enigma12/pseuds/Enigma12
Summary: Trust. Belief. Care. They may be just words to most people. But to some, they are the world. They are words which have a meaning as deep as a black hole. Experience strengthens the meaning of these words.What is the depth of these words for a child? To what do they understand them?Read and find out…





	1. Prologue

“Papa” I called out running out of my father’s childhood home.  
“Papa, what are you doing? Please come and play with me.” I asked my father as I watched him tend to the mango tree in the garden. “Child, this tree has fallen sick so I’m giving it medicine in order to make it better.” father replied while still spraying the liquid on the bark.  
“But papa this tree is very old; then how will medicine heal it?” listening to this, father laughed and said “Medicine is not the only solution, you have to give it a lot of love and lot of care.” Saying this he got up and went inside the house to clean up. Being his little girl I also followed him inside and mother called us for lunch. I wondered that even then how is it that the plants will know whether we love them or not? How can they have feelings?  
That night after dinner as we were sitting in the backyard I asked my grandfather if it was possible for trees to love. “Bachha the mango tree was planted by your father when he was a child. He loved the tree a lot. All plants have feelings and they know who is taking care of them. If you care for them then they also show their love by staying healthy. If you are rude to them then they will become dry and even there levees will not be healthy. And now if you don’t sleep how will we play tomorrow? So sleep now my child. The land of fairies is calling you. Have happy drams. Good night.”


	2. 7 years later

“Piya? Piya! Piya come here drink your milk and no making faces.”   
“But mamma I have to go to class. I’ll surely drink after I come back”   
“Sudha leave her na. She’s not a kid. If she wants then she will drink it. Right Piya?”  
“Don’t support her Rishab. It is all because of your pampering that she is becoming spoilt. Come back here little lady you are not leaving till you finish this. I can’t believe this Piya. You are 11 years old and still you run like you did when you were 5 at the sight of milk” Saying this mamma handed me the glass and I drank it making faces. ‘Let grandpa come I’ll complain about you to him and he will surely tell you not to give me milk’  
This was the routine of every morning in my house. We had moved from place to place according to my father’s job. But I still managed to adjust in every single place. As of now we stay in Mysore and have lived here for past 4 years which is the longest. I love it here. It’s so peaceful and very welcoming.   
I am very excited as my grandparents are coming.   
School went as usual. Our science teacher told us that the school will be taking us to a farm where they raise silk worms. It is purely educational and will be conducted sometime next week. This was the only thing that was interesting. And yes I came 2nd in the race today. I love skating by the way so I was second in the rink in case you are wondering.  
On Sunday I wake up to the racket being caused by pigeons. I look at the clock and it is showing 8:00 am. ‘Seriously guys I have a holiday today so I slept in late. Stop it already. These punctual hungry little guys’ I thought annoyingly but a fond smile made its way on my face. Climbing out of bed I grabbed the keys to the main door and went out. ‘One day these people won’t let me sleep peacefully.’ As I went towards the door I was greeted by a sight which was lovely to me but might end up in a scolding if mamma sees this. My cat was sleeping peacefully on the sofa. Laughing I picked it up gently and opened the door where two puppies came running towards me and looking at me with hungry eyes. Sighing I went inside and got milk for both my kitten and the pups and roti for their mother. It was after this that they let me go to the terrace to feed the pigeons.   
As you might have guessed, we stay in a single storied independent house and it has beautiful garden which is of course maintained by mamma. I am an only child so it becomes difficult sometimes but thanks to my garden and my ‘pets’ I don’t feel lonely. Every day I make sure to spend time with them. It all started when papa saw the cat ‘meow’ and gave it milk. Next thing we know it came to our house every day and would sleep on the couch whenever possible, thus, ending up in me papa being scolded. The dogs stay behind our house and that became their home ever since I fed them bread.   
The pigeons were always there. We have been feeding birds ever since the time I remember. Watching all of them happy makes me happy and it is very refreshing form the school life and a big time stress buster. I spend the whole day with my parents shopping for groceries and me and papa making fun of mamma.   
Today is the ‘educational trip’ our school is supposed to take us to. I wonder how it will be. Although the view was very scenic. The tour guide started explain the various process to us and I must admit it was wonderful. Just wonderful. So much was happening inside the farm and it was all very new. At the end they gave us a mulberry stick each and a silkworm.   
At home –   
“Mamma! Mamma come out fast I need to show you something.” I called out still parking my cycle and closing the gate. “What happened?” she asked as she came out looking frightened. Did I mention that my prints are very possessive and tend to get worried silly? Anyway I was so excited that I sat down with her and started telling her the story when she stopped me “go and change first I’ll get you something to eat otherwise by the time you finish it will be very late and you will be hungry. If you eat anything at that time then out will not have dinner.” Laughing I went inside and freshen up in record time and came back to find mamma waiting for me. I told her everything in detail including the scenery and the games we played din the bus.   
That night after papa came back I told him about the stick and told him that I wanted to plant it. He took the stick from my hands and saw something “beta it is no use putting the stick here. The soil is not suitable for it. Even if we were to try then first of all the stick is already dry and second it is too thin.”  
I was upset listening to my father say that. Then I remembered what my grandpa had told me. That plants too hard feelings. Maybe if I just plant it may grow into a try. What’s wrong in trying? I have nothing to lose anyway.   
Thinking of this I woke up earlier than usual the next morning and went to the garden with the stick in my hand, dug up a small hole and placed one end of the stick in it. In the evening when papa saw it he said “it is not the way you put it. It’s wrong. Now it will never grow. If there were some chances you have destroyed them completely now.” Hearing this I was very sad but kept quiet.   
For the next week I would come and talk to the stick every day and spend time with it. There were no sign of leaves coming out and was starting loose hope. One day when I came back from school my mother was very excited “Piya come fast. If I tell you a good news what will be my reward?” she teased me. I was already getting impatient and shrugged. She took me to the garden and show me the stick “surprise!!!” I had tears in my eyes. I was so happy.   
The stick, my stick was green, it had become a sapling a plant. Its leaves had sprouted out. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. It was a great achievement on my side. And my mother was by my side just as happy.   
I named it “Precious”. My Precious…


	3. 6 months later

“Oh precious you are growing so big. You know what you make even pap jealous. He says that your leaves are very big and even out are growing into a big tree. I love you so much. And I will always love you”  
6 months have passed and precious is growing into a very big tree. I still remember the look on papa’s face when I showed him my precious. It was picture perfect and hilarious. Even today whenever he looks at it he is happy but also feels jealous. Very jealous. I share a lot of things with it when I’m sad or angry or happy everything. Precious is part of everting I do and I love it a lot.  
When grandpa told me plants have feelings didn’t believe him completely but today I would question him.  
Next morning as I climb out of bed, a sudden wave of dizziness take over me. Thinking that maybe it is because of sleepiness, I ignore it and wait for it go away. But when I try standing up again, I lose my balance. I think about skipping exercise and climb back into bed. Next I know mamma is waking me telling I’m going to be late for school. I get up gingerly but am not able to stand and a sudden wave of nausea takes over. “Mamma? I don’t want to go to school today. Can I take leave today?”  
Hearing this my mother rushes over to me asking “what happened? Are you ok?”  
“Yes ma I’m fine. Just not in the mood.” I reply giving her a small smile which she returns. “Ok. Stay at home today.” She kisses my forehead and leaves.  
After sometime papa comes in looking surprised “did the sun rise in the west today? You are tacking off?”  
“Papa…..”  
“Rishab stop teasing my daughter and go get ready. You are going to office. I cannot handle two kids at the same time. Now off you go” I and papa cannot help but smile. Before going he places his hand on my forehead and looks worried. “Sudha? Can you come here for a moment?”  
“Rishab if you are looking for an excuse to stay home that is not going to happen”  
“I think she has a little fever”  
When asked again the real reason for taking a leave I tell them about my dizziness and nausea.  
Two days passed and the fever was not reducing. The medicine was also of very little help.  
A week later when the reports came, it was a case of food poisoning. And the doctor told me to rest and drink lot of fluids. On my back I noticed that precious is drying and asked mamma what happened to it. “Don’t know beta. Since the day you fell ill even precious is sick.” I was surprised but dismissed it thinking it was because I couldn’t spend time it that’s why. The next two weeks went painfully slow. When I was fully recovered, I went out to meet precious but to my surprise it was in a very bad condition. I tried everything I could talking, medicine, love but alas I couldn’t save it.  
I cried a lot that day. I couldn’t believe that I lost it. My precious was not with me.  
“Piya beta, listen to me. Please. Do you remember when you had planted it? There was very less hope for it to grow. And when it grew its leaves were so big all of us were surprised and even the tree was very healthy. You loved it so much. When you fell sick so did your tree. Maybe it took your illness on itself. Maybe it had a part of you that was so much more than love and care. Maybe it was its way of taking care of you. Imagine if precious were to see you sad then it will be very sad. Don’t be sad. Please.”  
“You’re right. Precious will always be with us.”


	4. Epilogue

It’s been over a year since precious.  
I remember it every single day. It was my first achievement. It was the first time that some belief was proven to me. The first time I proved papa wrong.  
I still remember, my grandpa had told me plant have feelings. They can feel our love and repay that in their own manner. But what I didn’t know was the extent to which they can feel. Precious was a part of me. It gave itself up when I was fighting to get well. It stayed by my side during all of my times. It shared all my feelings.   
Today I’m standing in front of that very place where my precious used to be. Where I told it the very same every single day. I want to tell it again one last time. “Precious you are a part of me and will always be. Always. You will be precious my precious!”


End file.
